The two sisters, ages 16 and 20, are from Spruce Grove and have been involved with the sport all their lives. They earned spots on the women’s national team at a qualifying contest in Okotoks last month and are two of the four players on the roster from Northern Alberta. They found out they made the team just before being sent home from the three-day event and have had family and friends beaming.

“So many have been congratulating us as they have found out,” Ellie Jespersen said. “It just makes us more excited.”

Carrie and Ellie have both played for Alberta’s provincial team in prior years and each have experience with second base and shortstop positions. The pair added they have avoided sibling rivalry that can occur when a brother and sister, brother and brother or sister and sister are in the same sphere and get along well on and off the field. Carrie Jespersen mentioned that each complements the other’s skills.

“I am excited to play with Ellie,” she said. “She is awesome and makes me better.”

Ellie Jespersen on the field in earlier games. The 16-year-old from Spruce Grove recently attended a development clinic for female players in Florida held by Major League Baseball and made the women’s national team with her sister Carrie.Supplied photo

Carrie Jespersen added the structure of the tournament this year means the girls may not get to play in a world cup contest. They will be in Mexico from Aug. 18-25 where they will try and get the nation to a world tournament in 2020. If they do, the country moves on, but the Jespersen’s do not necessarily get to. Rules say they have to remake the women’s team every year through additional rounds of tryouts.

If they get there, Carrie says they have a good shot of defeating the number one-ranked Japanese team.

“They have won every year and my goal is to beat them,” Carrie Jespersen said. “It would be awesome.”

When their time with the team comes to an end it is unclear where the future lies for the pair. Opportunities do exist in the sport for women, but working in the United States remains an elusive concept for many. No major league teams have any female players, but both want to inspire the next generation of young women to take up a bat, helmet and ball and learn to love the game as much as they do now.

“The kids look up to me and I can say some things about the game of baseball and teach them,” Carrie Jespersen said. “That is encouraging. It is basically showing them this is is where I was and this is where I am now and you could ultimately get to be in the same space too.”